The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack
U-boat Tactics in the Battle of the Atlantic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21664351 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter G Lloyd (University of York), Niall Mackay (0000-0003-3279-4717, University of York), Christopher Price (0000-0002-7581-1823, York St John University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1183-112X • E-ISSN: 2561-5467 |
| Publisher | York University Libraries (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.25071/2561-5467.1348 |
| OpenAlex | W4416262266 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
In winter 1942–43 unique circumstances gave Germany’s U-boats the possibility of temporary victory in the North Atlantic. At the same time, Royal Navy operational research considered the possible German adoption of developed stand-off salvo tactics (“browning”), better suited to attacking large, dense convoys than Germany’s existing “ace” tactics of individual commanders infiltrating convoys. We test and verify the RN studies with a simulation, confirming that such tactics would have greatly increased U-boat success. While not denying ultimate Allied victory, “browning” would have increased sinkings, threatened the viability of large convoys, and possibly averted the May 1943 rout, at a critical juncture for Allied strategic decision-making. German lack of OR, Nazi heroic culture, and Dönitz’s methods all contributed to the absence of the feared tactical evolution
Adversary · Battle · German · Navy · Nazi Germany · Nazism · Victory · Military Defense Systems Analysis · Military History and Strategy · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
| Highly cited | No |
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